…As FG eliminates 15,000 terrorists
CITIZENS COMPASS— President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has unveiled a five-year strategic plan to fight insecurity in Nigeria.
The Federal Government claimed that military operations have eliminated over 15,000 terrorists in the last three years.
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake.
According to the statement, over 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and their dependents have also surrendered under Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents.
It said the new defence plan was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, improve military effectiveness and provide a coordinated response to emerging threats.
The statement described the initiative as a major component of Tinubu’s efforts to reposition national security towards a more coordinated, intelligence-led, technology-driven and preventive system.
It added that the framework would align defence priorities, operational requirements, capability development and expenditure with the country’s present and anticipated security challenges.
“The figures underscore the administration’s two-phase approach of sustained military operations and non-kinetic interventions to address insecurity,” the statement said.
As part of efforts to boost military manpower and operational capacity, the President has established four new Army divisions and restructured existing military formations.
The council said the reforms were intended to expand operational coverage, decentralise military operations and enable troops to respond more quickly to security threats across the country.
Army depots in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State, to increase training capacity and accelerate the recruitment of soldiers.
The two facilities can train 12,000 recruits simultaneously, with each having the capacity to accommodate 6,000 trainees.
The Osogbo depot currently has 5,210 recruits undergoing training, according to the statement.
The expansion, it said, would reduce recruitment and training turnaround time while increasing the number of soldiers available for deployment.
The President has equally approved the recruitment of an additional 28,000 soldiers to strengthen the military’s presence and improve its operational effectiveness.
“The plan is expected to strengthen combat readiness, address critical capability gaps, optimise available resources and minimise unnecessary expenditure and wastage,” it added.
